Robinson s unique sound came from using wooden taps. His direct claim to fame would be the creation of his famous "stair dance," which involved tapping up and down a flight of stairs both backwards and forwards.
Reginald "Reggio the Hoofer" McLaughlin grew up on Chicago’s south side, where he began his career dancing in the streets and subways. He learned to tap dance using homemade shoes and went on to receive training from prominent dancers Jimmy Payne, Sr. and Ernest "Brownie" Brown. Reggio has taught at the old town school of folk music, where he produces a tap version of The Nutcracker, called The Nut Tapper. He also worked with ragtime pianist Reginald Robinson and the Carolina Chocolate Drops for Keep a Song in Your Soul: the Black Roots of Vaudeville. Here's Reggio.